Promoting Equity and Assuring Teaching and Learning Quality: Magisterial Lectures in a Philippine University during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced universities to shift to online learning, one of the challenges to faculty and administrators was to provide students with high-quality, curriculum-based learning materials that could be accessed despite students’ variable levels of Internet access. Part of the Ateneo de Manila University’s response to this challenge is the production of the Magisterial Lectures, an Open Educational Resource (OER) series of video lectures by some of the University’s most respected faculty members. The goals of this paper are to describe how the production of the lectures was guided by the principles of quality and equity; to discuss the use and reach of the lectures based on YouTube analytics and a survey of Ateneo students and teachers; and to measure the impact of the lectures on students’ learning experience. We enact quality in terms of curricular alignment and high production value. Equity was achieved by making the resource available publicly, free of charge. We found that the videos reached over 350,000 viewers in 37 countries. A survey of Ateneo students and teachers, the primary beneficiaries, shows that these materials were effective educational tools. Their effectiveness is attributable to the grounding of the production in quality and equity; the teachers’ careful integration of the recordings in their lessons; and the students’ engagement with the lectures following their own learning preferences and strategies.

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“…They found that these respondents were more likely to self-identify as members of an economically disadvantaged group. To promote equity and to ensure the quality of teaching and learning during the pandemic, Rodrigo et al [3] produced OERs in the form of video lectures and made the resources available online at no cost. Their OERs benefited students regardless of their socioeconomic status and reached over 350,000 viewers across 37 countries in around one year and a half.…”

“…These findings might indicate the need to create more quality OERs that are easy to find. Some teachers reported that locating video lectures on YouTube was easier than searching on their university OERs websites [3], suggesting that methods of retrieving OERs from repositories need to improve.…”

“…The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic affected campus operations worldwide. To reduce social contact and minimize the risk of the pandemic spreading, teaching and learning shifted from the face-to-face mode to online and distance modes [1][2][3][4][5]. However, sustaining quality education in a fully online environment was challenging.…”

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“…Students have problems participating (Anthonysamy, 2022), which lowers the focus (Giray et al, 2022), rejected virtual lessons (Rodrigo & Ladrido, 2022), and actively participated in dialogues (Tiria et al, 2022). COVID-19 requires instructors, in order to develop techniques to maximise learning (Neuwirth et al, 2021).…”